Shredding and baling apparatus and method

ABSTRACT

A shredding and baling apparatus provided includes a shredding assembly operatively connected to a baling assembly via a conveyor. A rotatable drum with cutting teeth spirally arranged along the drum is preferably centered within a lower portion of an intake hopper for cutting through material as it is fed into the hopper. Fixed cutting teeth are preferably arranged in a row or rows along each of the longitudinal sidewalls of the hopper, adjacent the cutting drum. A touch screen display and computer may be used in combination with sensors to monitor and control the shredding and baling operation, and a hydraulic system is used to drive the components. The shredding and baling assembly is preferably designed in an industrial size to handle high volumes of material and may be driven or transported from one location to another.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/433,741 entitled Shredding and Baling Apparatus and Method filed Jun.6, 2019, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No.15/269,071, entitled Shredding and Baling Apparatus and Method filed onSep. 19, 2016, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser.No. 14/716,229, entitled Shredding and Baling Apparatus and Method filedon May 19, 2015 which is a non-provisional of U.S. Provisional No.62/000,221, entitled Baling Apparatus and Method filed on May 19, 2014.All of the foregoing application are hereby incorporated by reference intheir entireties.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to an apparatus and method forshredding and crushing refuse and then baling the crushed material. Morespecifically, the present invention relates to a mobile apparatus thatreceives a high volume of material, such as tree branches, trash,demolition materials from a roll-off container, or the like, shredsand/or crushes the material into smaller debris, compresses the debrisinto a bale, and then wraps the bale with material to hold the baletogether for transport and storage purposes. The apparatus may beportable so that it can be moved from one site to another and allows fora variety of materials (i.e. wood, metal, plastic, etc.) to be shreddedand baled together at one time without the need for separation orsorting of materials.

A shredder or crusher typically has rotating blades which shred andshear material as it is fed into the shredding apparatus, and theshredded material may then be collected in a receptacle that may belocated underneath or in proximity to the shredder. Usually shreddersare designed to handle a specific type of material, such as plastics,wood, or paper. The object of a shredder is to reduce materials to amuch smaller size for recycling or disposal, as shredded materialoccupies much less space than non-shredded, intact material.

A drawback to typical shredders is the fact that, although the materialis reduced in size, the smaller, loose material is harder to collect andcontain when transporting and/or disposing. Additionally, typicalshredders tend to include a plurality of rotating cutting mechanisms aswell as a screening apparatus to ensure that only small sized debris isreleased from the shredder; any larger sized debris may make additionalpasses through the shredding mechanism until it is shredded to a muchreduced size. It would be advantageous to provide an apparatus that issimplified to a single shredding or cutting mechanism, and whereby theresulting size of the shredded debris need not be screened to a uniformsize. Furthermore, it would be advantageous to provide an apparatus thatcan subsequently bale the loose material after shredding, such that thesmaller, loose material is compacted into a bale that can be much moreeasily transported. In addition, the baling process itself serves tocompact the material and reduce the size of space occupied by thegarbage or recyclable material.

A baler is a piece of farm machinery used to compress a cut and rakedcrop (such as hay, cotton, straw, or silage) into compact bales that areeasy to handle, transport, and store. Several different types of balersare commonly used, each producing a different type of bale—rectangularor cylindrical, of various sizes, bound with twine, strapping, netting,or wire. Industrial balers are also used in material recyclingfacilities, primarily for baling metal, plastic, or paper for transport.

The most common type of baler in industrialized countries today is thelarge round baler. It produces cylinder-shaped “round” or “rolled”bales. The design has a “thatched roof” effect that withstands weatherwell. Grass is rolled up inside the baler using rubberized belts, fixedrollers, or a combination of the two. When the bale reaches apredetermined size, either netting or twine is wrapped around it to holdits shape. The back of the baler swings open, and the bale isdischarged. The bales are complete at this stage, but they may also bewrapped in plastic sheeting by a bale wrapper, either to keep hay drywhen stored outside or convert damp grass into silage.

Heretofore, baling was primarily used in connection with hay, cotton,straw, or other types of fibrous materials. It has been contemplatedthat baling other types of materials, such as dirt, mulch, and householdgarbage, for instance, would be beneficial, because those materialscould be compressed into much smaller units that would occupysignificantly smaller volumes than the loose materials that remainuncompressed. One problem, however, with baling dirt and mulch (forexample), is the difficulty in compressing that material to form into abale, and then ensuring that the bale would remain intact, rather thansimply falling apart. Hay, cotton, and straw bales tend to remain intactafter the baling operation has been completed, largely due to the lengthand fibrous nature of those materials. Dirt and mulch, which includesmuch smaller particulate, would simply crumble out of the sides of thebale during the baling process, and thus, balers for these types ofmaterials have never been successfully manufactured and commercialized.

Several patents and publications, incorporated herein by reference,describe a variety of shredding and baling or compacting mechanisms.U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,170 describes a shredder attachment for a round balehay baler which will effectively shred corn stalks or stubble, milostubble and the like and discharge the shredded stubble into a roundbale hay baler which will form a bale of stubble which has been shreddedwhich can be used for feed, bedding and the like.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,491,245 describes a mobile shredding and materialhandling and feed system, preferably for use in the handling andshredding of paper and other office related feedstock. An embodiment ofthe system on the input side utilizes an input hopper, a first conveyor,a feed aperture, and a second conveyor which moves excess feedstock awayfrom the entry to the shredder feed aperture to avoid jamming the feedaperture. An embodiment of the invention on the output side utilizes acompactor, preferably one or more augers, to compact the shreddedmaterial exiting the shredder, and moving said compacted shreddedmaterial to the discharge or system output. An embodiment of thismaterial handling and feed system also applies for balers.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,499,931 describes a vehicle for collecting, sorting andreducing the volume of recyclable wastes and regular household andcommercial garbage includes a large container with plural compartmentsmounted to the exterior of the vehicle includes a lifting mechanism forlifting the container to the top of the vehicle so that its contents canbe dropped through chutes into plural bins. Between the chutes and thebins are crushers and shredders for reducing of volume of wastesdeposited in the bins. Other wastes are placed in balers for baling.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,820,542 describes an apparatus for compacting and balingleaves, grass clippings, sticks, pine straw and other debris on lawns,yards, or fields is provided. The apparatus may have diagonal brushes togather debris for processing though a crusher, a conveyor belt totransport the crushed debris, and a baler to compact and bale thedebris. The baler may compact the debris by rotating the debris in acontinuous band, into which baling material may be inserted to bale thedebris. Alternatively, the debris may be gathered and feed into acrusher that deposits the crushed debris directly into the baler forcompacting and baling. Further still, the apparatus may gather thedebris with brushes and feed it onto a conveyor mechanism 30 that thenintroduces it into a crusher. The crushed debris may then be feed into abaling mechanism that compacts and bales the debris for easy removal anddisposal. In its various embodiments, the present invention may beconnected to a prime mover or alternatively connected to a portable basewith a motor for driving the device.

The shredders and balers of the prior art suffer from disadvantages suchas only being able to shred and bale a particular type of material, thedesign of the shredding apparatus is more complicated and therefore moreexpensive, and/or the shredding and baling apparatus is only capable ofsmall scale jobs (i.e. shredding and baling twigs and leaves while beingpushed around a lawn).

It would be particularly advantageous to provide an industrial sizedshredder and baler method and apparatus for shredding and balingmultiple types of materials at one time, and particularly non-fibrousmaterials that have, heretofore, been difficult shred and form intobales. The advantages of shredding and baling these and other materialsinclude the ability to transport the bales, stack the bales forefficient storage, and compressing the materials into a volume that ismuch smaller than the volume of the unshredded and/or uncompressedmaterial. Wood can be shredded and baled for biomass; and, much largerquantities of garbage, wood, and demolition materials can be transportedfor disposal at a single time or on a single vehicle as compared toprevious methods.

The shredder-baler may be mounted on a trailer or flatbed whereby theshredded material may transported to the baler via conveyer, allowingfor a portable system that can be scaled up or down in size and drivenanywhere shredding and baling is needed. One useful technique would beto drive a single shredder-baler to a demolition or disaster site forquick and efficient clean up. For example, rather than needing ten totwenty roll-off container trucks lined up to collect and contain debrisand materials, a single shredder-baler may be driven onsite along with aflatbed truck to collect and stack the bales. Potentially, a singleflatbed truck could hold 15-20 roll-off containers worth of baleddebris.

Another useful technique would be to use the shredding and balingcombination apparatus on a trash or refuse collecting truck in order tocompress and bale household or commercial trash. In such an arrangement,the trash workers could load trash directly into a hopper or feeder forthe shredder for shredding and subsequent compression and baling. Whenthe bale reaches capacity and is released from the baler, the bale oftrash could be stacked onto a flatbed of a truck, and additional balescould be stacked on top of one another in a compressed state, whichmeans that such a truck could transport vastly larger quantities oftrash than currently available methods allow. When the trash bales aredelivered to a landfill, the bales could be neatly stacked, creating amuch cleaner appearance, with the added benefit that the bales onlyoccupy approximately 10% of the volume of uncompressed, loose trash andrefuse. Thus, in this way, a landfill having a certain land area couldcontain as much as ten times the amount of trash dumped there in anuncompressed, loose manner as is typical of landfills in use today.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The instant shredding-baling apparatus, in a preferred embodiment,includes a shredding apparatus operably connected to a baler via aconveyor. In one embodiment, the shredder includes an intake hopper withsidewalls for receiving and containing materials as they are fed intothe shredder for shredding. A rotatable drum with cutting teeth spirallyarranged along the drum is preferably centered within a lower portion ofthe hopper for cutting through material as it is fed into the hooper.Fixed cutting teeth are preferably arranged in a row or rows along eachof the longitudinal sidewalls of the hopper, adjacent the cutting drum.The cutting drum is preferably motor-driven and rotates at a speedsufficient to cut and reduce the material in size so that it may becompressed and baled by the baler. Contrary to typical shredders of theprior art, the size of the shredded material need not be uniform or aspecific dimension, provided the material can be successfully baled bythe baler. Furthermore, the shredder-baler of the present invention ispreferably designed in an industrial size to handle high volumes ofmaterial.

The baler includes housing having a fixed portion and a movable portion(or “door”) pivoting upward and outward in relation to the fixedportion, wherein the door may pivot between an open and closed position.A series of rollers are arranged about the periphery of the housing, onan inner portion thereof, in a generally circular configuration. Aseries of large, flexible bands or belts are positioned within thehousing, extending almost the entire width of the inside of the housing,and engage the rollers during the baling operation. The apparatusincludes a hopper for feeding material to be baled (“bale material”)into the baler, and specifically for feeding the bale material to theinside area of the housing between the belts.

In a preferred embodiment, several of the rollers positioned on thefixed portion of the housing include three rollers that are driven by ahydraulic motor (either directly, or indirectly via a pulley mechanism),along with two adjustable rollers that are slidably mounted so that theymay move inwardly or outwardly with respect to the housing for purposesof belt replacement. On the door side of the housing, the rollerspreferably include a driven roller, six fixed rollers, together with amovable tensioner roller. The tensioner roller is mounted on a mechanismthat includes a pair of tracks extending outwardly from the door, sothat the tensioner can move inwardly and outwardly along the tracks. Thetensioner roll is used to push against the belt inwardly during thebaling operation to apply compression forces onto the outer side of thebelt, which serves to compress the baling material into an extremelytight configuration, so that the bale can maintain its structuralintegrity after it has been wrapped and released from the baler. Thetensioner roll mechanism is driven inwardly and outwardly by a hydraulicpiston. A pair of rotating auger members are disposed within the housingtoward the outer periphery thereof, and are used to catch and remove anyerrant chips or pieces of bale material that fall between the belts andthe housing, in order to prevent any such chips or pieces frominterfering with the mechanical components of the baler. The chips arecaught up in the rotating helical screw blade and transported to an exitport in the side of the housing where they are ejected therefrom.

In operation, the bale material is fed through the hopper, and thehydraulic motors drive the belts that are positioned on the rollers inthe baling cavity of the housing. The tensioner roller moves inwardly toapply a compressive force against the belt and the bale materialdisposed within the baling cavity. A sensor apparatus monitors the balesize to determine when the bale is nearing and has reached its maximumcapacity. When the bale has reached its maximum capacity, a wrap feederbegins to feed a wrap (preferably a strong netting material) around thebale through several revolutions under high tension, in order to holdthe bale together. Once the wrapping operation is completed, the wrapmaterial is cut or broken, and the door opens to release the bale fromthe baler. At this point, the operation may start over again in order tocreate the next bale.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with regard to the followingdescription, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a shredding and baling apparatusin accordance with one aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of a shredding and baling apparatus inaccordance with one aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a front view of a shredding and baling apparatus in accordancewith one aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a front cross sectional view of a shredding and balingapparatus in accordance with one aspect of the present invention,illustrating the shredding mechanism of the shredding assembly;

FIG. 5 is a rear view of a shredding and baling apparatus in accordancewith one aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a side view of a shredding and baling apparatus in accordancewith one aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a side cross sectional view of a shredding and balingapparatus in accordance with one aspect of the present invention,illustrating the shredding mechanism of the shredding assembly and therollers of the baling assembly;

FIG. 8 is a top view of a shredding assembly in accordance with oneaspect of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a baling apparatus in accordance withone aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is side view of a baling apparatus in accordance with one aspectof the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a rear view of a baling apparatus in accordance with oneaspect of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a side view of a baling apparatus in accordance with oneaspect of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a baling apparatus in accordancewith one aspect of the present invention, illustrating the arrangementof rollers and augers within the housing;

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of a baling apparatus in accordancewith one aspect of the present invention, illustrating the arrangementof rollers positioned within the housing on the pivoting door sidethereof;

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of a baling apparatus in accordancewith one aspect of the present invention, illustrating the arrangementof rollers positioned within the housing on the on the fixed sidethereof;

FIG. 16a is a cutaway front view of a baling apparatus in accordancewith one aspect of the present invention, wherein the outer wall of thehousing has been cut away to reveal the components positioned betweenthe outer wall and the inner wall of the housing on the front sidethereof; and

FIG. 16b is a cutaway front view of a baling apparatus in accordancewith one aspect of the present invention, wherein the outer wall of thehousing has been cut away to reveal the components positioned betweenthe outer wall and the inner wall of the housing on the front sidethereof, and the hinged door is shown in an open position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Overview

One preferred embodiment of a shredding-baling apparatus 100 isillustrated in FIGS. 1-16. The apparatus presented herein is capable ofbeing attached to any number of platforms or frames. In one embodiment,the shredder-baler 100 may be mounted on a dedicated platform 101 thatincludes a wheel or multiple wheels, so that it may be towed like atrailer behind any large mobile vehicle or piece of equipment, such as atruck, tractor, or the like. The shredder-baler 100 may also be mountedto the bed of a large flat-bed truck. Further, the shredder-baler 100may be attached to or incorporated with another vehicle or piece ofequipment such as a trash truck. In essence, the shredder-baler 100 maybe used by itself as a single unit, or in combination with other heavyequipment in many different configurations, as desired. It iscontemplated that in a preferred embodiment, the shredder-baler 100 isindustrial sized and capable of providing clean-up to constructionsites, disaster sites, or any other area where high volume andhigh-throughput removal of debris is needed.

In a preferred embodiment, the shredder-baler 100 includes a shreddingassembly 200 adjacent and operatively connected to a baling assembly 10,preferably with a conveyor means 300 to convey the shredded material tothe baling assembly 10. The shredding assembly 200 includes an intakehopper 202 for receiving the material that is to be shredded, and ashredding mechanism 201 for shredding the material as it is fed into theintake hopper 202. The shredded material may then fall on to theconveyor means 300 below where it is transported to the baling assembly10. The conveyor means 300 preferably terminates above a baler hopper 46that feeds the shredded material into the baling assembly 10. Once thematerial has been baled, compressed, and wrapped, it may be releasedfrom the baling assembly 10.

Shredding Assembly

The shredding assembly 200 of the present invention is efficient in bothcost and operation due to the simplicity of the design. In a preferredembodiment, the shredding assembly 200 consists of a rotatable shreddingmechanism 201, such as a cutting drum 208, located within an intakehopper 202. When looking at a front cross-sectional view of a preferredembodiment, such as FIG. 4, it can be seen that the bottom of the intakehopper 202 is preferably open so that the cutting drum 208 is freelyexposed to the conveying mechanism 300. In this way, as the materialbecomes shredded, the debris may fall directly onto the conveyor 300after being passed over the cutting drum 208.

Intake Hopper

As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 8, the shredder assembly 200 includesan intake hopper 202 for receiving the material that is to be shredded.In one embodiment, the intake hopper 202 is designed to be top-loadedand is comprised of two opposed side walls 203, 204 that extend upwardlyat a preferably obtuse angle, and a front 205 and rear 206 wall thateach define an opening 207 for receiving a rotatable shredding mechanism201. The bottom of the intake hopper 202 is preferably open to allow theshredded material to fall directly onto the conveyor 300. Each of theopposed side walls 203, 204 preferably include at least one row of fixedteeth 211, 212 mounted horizontally along the length of each side wall203, 204, as best seen in FIGS. 4 and 8. The fixed teeth 211, 212 arediscussed in more detail below. It is to be understood that the intakehopper 202 is not limited to the embodiment described and may be anyshape or dimension suitable to hold the material that is to be shredded.

The intake hopper 202 may be loaded by hand by tossing material orpieces of scrap into the hopper 202, or preferably by constructionequipment such as a material handler or excavator claw attachment thatcan grab and lift large quantities of material into the intake hopper202 at one time.

Shredding Mechanism

In a preferred embodiment, the shredding mechanism 201 is comprised of acutting drum 208 rotatable along a rotational axis and oriented along ahorizontal axis. The cutting drum 208 is preferably positioned in thelower, central portion of the intake hopper 202, parallel between thetwo opposed side walls 203,204. The diameter and length of the cuttingdrum 208 may be any suitable dimension depending upon the desired sizeof the shredding assembly 200. The cutting drum 208 preferably comprisesat least a support body 209 and a plurality of cutting teeth 210 carriedon the outer portion of the drum 208 and preferably arranged in a spiralorientation along the outer surface. One example of a shreddingmechanism is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,980,278 of Labbe et al.incorporated herein by reference.

By arranging the teeth spirally, as best shown by FIGS. 4, 7, and 8, theresulting cut is more powerful. For example, if a 2×4 piece of wood isplaced in a shredding mechanism with cutting teeth arranged in parallellongitudinal rows, (as typically seen in shredders of the prior art), asthe 2×4 comes in contact with the row of cutting teeth, it will bepushed along with the row of cutting teeth, following the rotation ofthe shredder or drum. This type of arrangement results in a lessefficient cut that may require additional cutting drums workingtogether, or additional passes through the cutting drum as it rotates.Contrarily, when the cutting teeth are spirally arranged as in thepresent invention, rather than making contact with a row of cuttingteeth simultaneously, the 2×4 makes contact with each cutting toothfollowing one another in quick succession. Rather than traveling with arow of cutting teeth as the drum rotates, instead the wood is pushedagainst cutting tooth after cutting tooth consecutively, beingpulverized as the drum rotates.

In an alternative embodiment, a plurality of protective collars or ribsmay be mounted concentrically at spaced intervals along the outersurface of the cutting drum, with cutting teeth mounted between adjacentcollars. One example of protective collars is described in U.S. Pat. No.7,967,044 of Labbe et al. incorporated herein by reference.

Cutting Teeth

The cutting teeth 210 mounted on the cutting drum 208, also referred toherein as mobile teeth, may be any suitable type of cutting tooth. Themobile teeth 210 may be removable so that different types of cuttingteeth 210 may be mounted on the drum 208 as desired depending on thetype or types of material that is to be cut. For example, hammer teethmay mounted on the drum 208 for cutting mixed materials found at ademolition site, such as garbage, metal, plastic, wood, etc.Particularly, if the job requires cutting wood to be used for biomass,then a brush cutting tooth may be used. An exemplary cutting tooth andcutting tooth mount is described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,893,997 ofGaudreault, incorporated herein by reference.

As described above, each of the opposed side walls 203, 204 of theintake hopper 202 preferably include at least one row of fixed cuttingteeth 211, 212 mounted horizontally along the length of each side wall203, 204. The type and arrangement of fixed teeth may vary. For example,FIGS. 4 and 8 shows fixed cutting teeth 211 extending out along ahorizontal plane toward the rotatable cutting drum 208, while fixedcutting teeth 212 extend upward at an angle similar to that of the sidewalls 203, 204. A variation of the type of fixed teeth included alongthe walls 203, 204 of the intake hopper 202 may increase the efficiencyof the cutting and shredding process. As the cutting drum 208 rotates,the mobile teeth 210 mounted along the cutting drum 208 pass throughspaces defined between the fixed cutting teeth 211, 212, as illustratedby FIGS. 1, 2, and 8.

Power Unit

The entire apparatus 100 is powered by a power unit 402 preferablyconsisting of hydraulic motors 58, 213 and pumps operatively connectedto and supplying power to drive the rotation of the shredding assembly200, the conveyor means 300, and the baling assembly 10. These maincomponents of the shredder-baler apparatus 100 may be connected viahydraulic lines. The power unit 402 is preferably controlled by acomputer operatively connected to the power unit 402 so that the entireassembly of shredder 200, conveyor 300, and baler 10 operate togetherand is coordinated automatically. The computer system is discussed inmore detail herein. The hydraulic pump 400 or pumps may include pressuresensors 401 to monitor the pressure of at least the shredding mechanism201. The power unit may also include an engine such as a diesel engine403.

In a preferred embodiment, a motor 213 drives rotation of the cuttingdrum 208 at a relatively slow speed. A preferred range of speed may be35-55 rpm, with a more preferable speed of 45 rpm for example; although,it is to be understood that the speed may be set at any desired orsuitable rpm depending upon the use. Although a faster speed may beused, a slower speed may allow for a more powerful and efficient cuttingas large quantities of mixed materials are dropped into the shreddingassembly 200. The power unit 402 may be designed such that if thecutting drum 208 becomes obstructed in any way, for example an objectgets stuck or lodged in the drum 208 as it rotates, then the motor 213may automatically counter-rotate the drum 208 in the opposite directionfor a predetermined amount of time until the obstruction is removed andcutting may resume. Preferably, this process is automatically controlledby the power unit 402, negating the need for operator intervention.

The predetermined time interval for reverse rotation may be set by atimer operatively connected to the motor 213 and/or incorporated intothe computer system; the timer may be set for 30 seconds, 45 seconds, orany time interval as desired or needed to dislodge an obstruction. Anobstruction of the cutting drum 208 may be determined by an increase inpressure detected by the pressure sensor 401 on the hydraulic pump 400.For example, if the drum 208 is rotating counterclockwise as it shredsthrough material, and resulting debris gets lodged in the cuttingmechanism 201 causing an obstruction, then the pressure in the hydraulicpump 400 may rise. Once the pressure sensor 401 detects that thepressure has reached approximately 5000 psi (or any other predeterminedor programmed setting or level), the motor 213 driving the drum 208 mayautomatically switch rotation of the drum 208 in a clockwise directionfor the predetermined time interval (for example, 30 seconds) to allowfor the obstruction to become dislodged. Once the timer has reached 30seconds (or any other predetermined pre-set time interval), the motor213 will resume rotation of the drum 208 in a counterclockwisedirection, thus resuming the cutting operation. This entire rotation,counter-rotation process preferably occurs automatically and iscontrolled by the various components of the power unit 402.

Conveyor Means

A conveyor means 300, such as a conveyor belt, is powered by a motor andoperatively connected to the shredding assembly 200 and the balingassembly 10. In a preferred embodiment, the front of the conveyor 300 islocated directly underneath the shredding mechanism 201, substantiallyaligned with the front of the shredding assembly 201, as illustratedbest by FIG. 7. The conveyor 300 moves in a direction that carries theshredded debris away from the shredding assembly 200 and toward thebaling assembly 10, terminating above the baling assembly 10, as shownin FIG. 1.

The cutting drum 208 is preferably open to the conveyor 300 such that asshredded material drops from the shredding mechanism, it may falldirectly onto the conveyor 300 where it may be carried to and droppedinto the baler hopper 46 of the baler assembly 10 for baling. Theconveyor 300 is operatively connected to the same power unit that drivesthe rotation of the cutting drum 208 and the operation of the balingassembly 10 so that all units of the apparatus 100 operate together. Ifthe baling assembly 10 reaches capacity and ceases operation to preparefor releasing a bale, then operation of the conveyor 300 may cease aswell. If operation of the baling assembly 10 and shredding assembly 200resume, then operation of the conveyor 300 may resume as well.

Baling Assembly

One preferred embodiment of a baling assembly 10 (also referred toherein as a “baler”) is illustrated in FIGS. 9-16. A housing 12 includesa fixed member 14 and a pivoting door member 16. The front 18 and rearsides 20 of the housing 12 preferably include an inner wall 22 and anouter wall 23. A series of rollers (24,26,28,34) are disposed about theinner periphery of the inner wall 22 of the housing 12 in a generallycircular configuration. A series of belts (40,42,44) are disposed aboutthe rollers within the inner walls 22 of the housing 12. A baler hopper46 is positioned on the top of the housing 12, and is used to screen andfeed bale material into the baler 10. A wrap feeder 48 is positioned onan outer portion of the housing 12, and holds a roll of wrap material,preferably in the form of a strong netting material, which may be fedinto the baler 10 and wrapped around the bale once the bale has beenformed and compressed.

Housing

Preferably, the housing 12 is comprised of a fixed member 14 and a doormember 16 that may pivot upward and outward as shown in FIG. 16b . Inone embodiment, the housing 12 includes front 18 and rear 20 framemembers that are spaced apart and occupy parallel planes. The framemembers (18,20) are connected by various components, including supportmembers, rollers, and a base 50. Each frame member (18,20), in apreferred embodiment, includes two separate walls—an inner wall 22 andan outer wall 23. Rollers (24,26,28,34) are situated between the framemembers (18,20), and a baling cavity 52 is defined between the framemembers (18.20), and the rollers extend about a periphery of the housing12 in a generally circular configuration between the inner walls 22 ofthe frame members (18,20). The outer wall 23 is spaced apart from theinner wall 22 on each frame member, creating a defined and enclosedspace for various components, including hydraulic pistons 38 andcomponents, pulleys 54, drive belts 56, and the like. This arrangementallows these components to be separated from the baling cavity 52, andfurther, to be isolated between the inner 22 and outer walls 23, whichprotects them from outside elements, including water, dust, dirt, andthe like. An additional benefit to this configuration is that sectionsof the outer wall 23 may be removed for repair and maintenance purposes.

Rollers

There are a variety of different rollers (24,26,28,34) disposed withinthe inner walls 22 of the housing 12 that are used in the balingprocess. In a preferred embodiment, some of the rollers are disposed ina fixed position with respect to the housing, and are rotationallydriven by a hydraulic motor 58 (either directly, or are drivenindirectly via a belt or chain drive mechanism). These rollers arereferred to herein as “driven rollers” 24. A second set of rollers 26 isfixed to the housing 12 (not adjustable, not driven), and these rollersare referred to herein as “fixed rollers” 26. The fixed rollers 26simply rotate in correspondence with the belt (40,42,44) that engagesthem, due to frictional engagement with the belt. A third set of rollers28 is adjustable with respect to the housing 12, so that they may slideinwardly toward a central portion of the housing 12, thus loosening thebelt; or outwardly toward a perimeter thereof, thus tightening the belt,and these rollers are referred to herein as “adjustable rollers” 28. Theadjustable rollers 28 are actually fixed during the baling operation, sofor operational purposes, the adjustable rollers 28 behave in the samemanner as the fixed rollers 26. The adjustable rollers 28 are mounted toa slide mechanism 30 that is received into slots 32 in the housing 12,as shown, so that the slide mechanism 30 may be moved between anoperational position (creating higher tension on the engaged belt) and amaintenance position (relaxing tension on the engaged belt), and securedinto either position. A means for adjustment is provided on theseadjustable rollers 28 for maintenance purposes, simply to facilitateremoval and reattachment of the belts that engage those rollers 28 whenmaintenance needs to be performed.

Lastly, a tensioner roll 34 is used to push the belt against the balematerial during the baling operation. The tensioner roll 34 is mountedonto a track 36, as shown, and a hydraulic motor is used to push thetensioner roll 34 inwardly along the track 36 and against the belt 40from the outside of the belt 40 (from within the belt “loop”) via ahydraulic piston 38, as shown, in order to apply significant compressionforces to the bale material during the baling operation. The tensionerroll 34 is not driven in a rotational manner in a preferred embodiment,but instead is simply forced against the belt inwardly as describedabove. The track 36 includes a chain mechanism 39 that engages with agear 41 that is disposed on the outer part of the tensioner roll 34axis. As the tensioner roll 34 is moved inwardly and outwardly along thetracks, the gear 41 and chain 39 assembly ensure that both sides of thetensioner roll 34 remain evenly positioned between the tracks, whichhelps to keep uniform pressure against the belt and baling material.Additionally, this gear and chain mechanism helps to provide a smoothlyshaped, symmetrical bale, rather than a lumpy, irregularly shaped bale.This same gear and chain mechanism may also be applied to andincorporated in the hinged portion 62 of the door 16, discussed below,in order to provide uniform compression on each side of the bale duringa baling operation.

Optionally, the rollers (24,26,28) may include a small notch on a sidethereof, for expelling small bale material chips that become lodgedbetween the circular side of the roller and the inner wall 22 of thehousing 12. The concept is that the chip, which is pinched between theside of the roller and the wall 22, will fall into the notch duringrotation of the roller, and then fall out when that portion of theroller disengages from the belt during normal rotation. Then, the chipcan be expelled from the housing by the auger mechanisms 60.

Belts

A series of large, flexible belts (40,42,44) are used to rotate,compress and form the bales from the bale material. Each of these belts(40,42,44) engage and wrap around a specific set of rollers(24,26,28,34) within the inner walls 22 of the housing, so that thedriven rollers 24 rotationally drive the belts, and the fixed rollers 26and adjustable rollers 28 guide the belts. When a belt needs to bereplaced, the adjustable rollers 28 are moved into maintenance position,thus loosening and reducing tension on the belt to facilitate removal ofthe belt from the rollers. When a new belt is properly positioned aroundthe rollers, the adjustable roller 28 is then moved back into itsoperational position, which may provide tension to the belt, and thenthe adjustable roller 28 is tightened and secured into that operationalposture.

In a preferred embodiment, three separate belts are used within thebaler. One belt 40 extends around all of the rollers that are positionedon the door side of the housing (“door belt” 40). The top roller 24 thatengages the door belt 40 is driven directly by a hydraulic motor 58,which is mounted on the side of the housing 12. The remaining rollers(26) on the door side of the housing that engage the door belt 40 arefixed rollers, with the exception of the tensioner roller 34. The upperportion of the inner wall 22 of the housing on the door side includes ahinged portion 62 that allows the upper three rollers to move upwardlyand downwardly in concert with one another. A hydraulic piston 38 isdisposed between the hinged portion 62 of the door housing 16 on theinner wall 22 and a fixed portion 64 of the door housing 16 on an innerwall 22, as shown. The hydraulic piston 38 exerts a closing orcompression force on the hinged portion 62 of the door housing 16, andduring the baling operation, as the bale grows larger, the hingedportion 62 is forced upwardly by the increasing size of the bale. Thisarrangement helps to provide compression forces to the bale materialduring the baling operation. A pair of contact sensors (66,68) engagethe hinged portion 62 of the housing to determine 1) when the bale isnearing maximum capacity but has not yet reached maximum capacity, and2) when the bale has reached maximum capacity. The sensor system will bediscussed in more detail herein below.

On the fixed side 14 of the housing 12, in a preferred embodiment, anupper belt 42 engages the rollers on the upper side of the housing 12,while a lower belt 44 engages the rollers on the lower side of thehousing 12, as shown. The upper belt 42 is rotated by a driven roller 24having an axle that extends outwardly through the inner wall 22 of thehousing 12, which engages a drive belt 56 attached to a hydraulic motor58. A belt tensioner 70, mounted on the outer portion of the inner wall22, engages the drive belt 56 that runs between the hydraulic motor 58and the driven roller 24, in order to maintain tension on the drive belt56. The top roller 28 on the fixed side 14 of the housing 12 is anadjustable roller 28, while the remaining roller(s) engaged by the topbelt 42 are preferably fixed rollers 26.

A lower belt 44 engages the rollers disposed on the lower side of thefixed portion 14 of the housing 12. The top roller 24 that engages thelower belt 44 is directly driven by a hydraulic motor 58 that isdisposed between the inner wall 22 and the outer wall 23 of the housing12, as shown. The bottom roller 24 that engages the lower belt 44 isindirectly driven by the hydraulic motor 58 via a drive belt 56extending therebetween, which is also positioned between the inner 22and outer walls 23 of the housing 12. A belt tensioner 70 engages thedrive belt 56 between the hydraulic motor 58 and the bottom drivenroller 24, as shown.

Overall, the belts (40,42,44) are positioned so that they are each inclose proximity to one another, such as in the lower portions of thebaling cavity 52 (where the bale is formed within the housing 12),except for a gap between the door belt 40 and the upper belt 42. Thisgap in the top of the baling cavity 52 is adjacent to the hopper 46, andallows baling material to be fed by the hopper 46, through the gap, andinto the baling cavity 52. This arrangement allows baling material to befed into the baling cavity 52 without having significant amounts of thebaling material fall through any small cracks or gaps between the beltsin the lower portion of the housing.

Auger System

Inevitably, during the baling operation, some small pieces, chips orparticles of the baling material may fall into cracks and creviceswithin the housing, for instance between the belts and the inner wall ofthe housing, and landing outside of the baling cavity 52 but remainingwithin the housing 12. A system is provided to remove these small piecesof baling material from the housing 12, so that they do not interferewith the operational components of the baler 10. In one embodiment, apair of hydraulically driven augers 60 are positioned in parallelrelation to the rollers (24,26,28,34) within the belts (40,42,44), nearan outer periphery of the inner walls 22 of the housing 12, as shown.These augers 60 are rotated and directly driven by hydraulic motors 58during the baling operation. During use, the chips are caught up in therotating helical screw blade and transported to an exit port 72 in theside of the housing 12 where they are ejected therefrom. Optionally, achute 74 may be mounted on an outer portion of the housing 12 adjacentthe exit port 72 to direct the flow of ejected chips.

Additionally, a small amount of baling material will fall between thesmall gap between the bottom of the door belt 40 and the lower belt 44on the fixed side 14 of the housing 12. To address this issue, a smallenclosure is placed below the gap to catch the baling material thatfalls therethrough. When the enclosure is full of baling material, thenthe baling material within the enclosure acts as a stopper, preventingany additional baling material from falling between the gap. Theenclosure empties out when the bale is released from the baler, andtends to refill during every baling cycle.

Sensor System

A series of sensors are used to monitor the progress and functionalaspects of the baling operation in progress. Contact sensors (66,68) areused to monitor the size of the bale within the baling cavity as shownin FIG. 8a . A preliminary contact sensor 66 is attached to the housingon the door 16 adjacent to the hinged portion 62, and senses when thehinged portion 62 begins to “open,” or move upwardly and outwardly dueto the size of the bale. This preliminary contact sensor 66 is used totell the operator that the bale is nearing its maximum capacity, but hasnot yet reached maximum capacity. A final contact sensor 68 is mountedabove the hinged portion 62 of the housing 12 on the door 14, andprovides an alert signal when the hinged portion 62 has extendedoutwardly far enough to indicate that the bale has reached its maximumcapacity. The final contact sensor 68 alert is used to initiate thewrapping process, whereby the wrap feeder 48 engages and begins to wrapthe bale in the final step before the bale is released from the baler10. A door contact sensor is disposed at a point between the fixedhousing 14 and the door 16, to indicate whether the door 16 is opened orclosed.

There is also a sensor operatively connected to the tensioner roll 34,in order to monitor and control the amount of force the tensioner roll34 is exerting against the belt and the baling material. The computer isprogrammed to provide systematically increasing pressure on the belt 40and baling material as the baling operation progresses, so that themaximum pressure is exerted by the tensioner roll toward the end of thebaling cycle when the bale is reaching maximum capacity. Duringoperation, the computer controls the amount of pressure applied by thetensioner roll 34, and preferably provides intermittent, cyclicalpressure, so that the tensioner roll applies high pressure, then backsoff and releases some pressure, and then reapplies significant pressure,all in a continuous cycle.

These sensors are all operatively connected to a computer system, whichnot only displays the information gleaned from the sensors on a displayfor the operator's information, but also for use in triggering andcontrolling other actions by the baler (or baler components) during thebaling operation.

Hydraulic System

The majority of the moving components of the baler 10 are driven by thehydraulic system, which includes hydraulic motors 58 for rotating thedriven rollers 24, and hydraulic pistons 38 for opening and closing thedoor 16 and for providing compression forces to the tensioner roll 34and the hinged portion 62 of the housing 12 on the door side 16. Ahydraulic distribution valve 78 (“body valve”) is used to distribute thehydraulic forces to the various hydraulic components, and is mounted onthe side of the housing 12 between the inner 22 and outer walls 23. Ahydraulic motor 58 also powers the wrap feeder 48, and small hydraulicmotors 58 drive the augers 60.

The hydraulic motors 58 are preferably driven by a standard hydraulicpump, which may be directly attached to the baler 10, or which may beattached to and powered by another piece of equipment used inconjunction with the baler.

The other hydraulic components are driven by a low pressure sensingpump, which is connected to the body valve 78. The body valve 78 worksas a distribution valve, sending hydraulic fluid under pressure to thedesired component at the desired time, and it is also capable ofmonitoring pressure levels, acting as a sensor in that way. The lowpressure sensing pump and body valve 78 are operatively connected to thecomputer system, which is programmed to control the body valve 78 and toreceive information (including pressure levels, etc.) for monitoring andsafety purposes.

Computer/Display

In a preferred embodiment, a computer is operationally connected tovarious components of the shredder-baler 100 in order to monitor andcontrol different aspects of the assembly operation. Preferably, a touchscreen display is used as an interface between the operator and theshredder-baler apparatus 100, so that the operator can control andmonitor many aspects of the operation. For instance, the computer isused to monitor the signals from the various sensors, as describedabove. This information is preferably displayed on the display screen asinformation to the operator.

Further, in a preferred embodiment, the computer is used to automate andcontrol many aspects of the baling operation. For instance, when thecomputer receives a signal from the preliminary contact sensor 66, itactivates an alert signal for the operator to let him or her know thatthe bale is nearing maximum capacity. The operator may then begin tomaneuver a skid steer near where the bale may be released, thusincreasing time efficiency for lifting and bale and carrying it to aflatbed for stacking. When the final sensor indicates that the bale hasreached maximum capacity, the computer automatically actuates the wrapfeeder 48, so that the wrap material begins feeding into the balingcavity 52 to wrap the bale prior to releasing the bale from the baler10. The computer also monitors the pressure forces on the bales, theoperation of the hydraulic motors 58, the hydraulic distribution valve78, the hydraulic low pressure sensing pump, the actuation and speed ofthe wrap feeder 48 (for tension), and other parameters and systems, toensure proper and safe operation. Certain events or warning signalsreceived by the computer from sensors may act as a trigger to shut downthe shredding and baling operation for safety reasons, in order toprevent additional damage to the shredder-baler apparatus 100 or itscomponents due to a malfunction or improper use.

It should be understood that while a touch screen is the preferreddisplay and interface, other types of displays or controls may be used.Further, the display and/or controls may be located in any desiredposition or location, whether attached directly to the housing of thebaler, the shredding assembly, or remotely (in the cab of a truck orvehicle that is connected to the assembly, for instance.)

Operation

It is contemplated that the shredder-baler apparatus 100 may be drivenonsite wherever large clean-up or material removal is needed. During apreferred embodiment of the shredding operation, equipment such as amaterial handler or excavator with claw attachment may be used to pickup and drop material to be shredded and baled into the intake hopper 202of the shredding assembly 200. As the material comes in contact with therotatable cutting drum 208, the spirally arranged mobile cutting teeth210 and fixed cutting teeth 211, 212 cut through the debris, shreddingit and reducing it in size. As the cutting drum 208 rotates, theshredded debris is gravity fed from the intake hopper 202 and thecutting drum 208 onto the moving conveyor means 300. The debris may thenbe conveyed from the shredding assembly 200 to the baler hopper 46 ofthe baling assembly 10.

During a baling operation, in a preferred embodiment, the conveyingmeans 300 is provided for feeding baling material into the baler hopper46 in a continuous fashion. As the bale material is fed through thebaler hopper 46 and into the baling cavity 52, the hydraulic motors 58of the baler 10 are rotating the driven rollers 24, which, in turn,rotate the upper 42 and lower belts 44. The rotation of the upper 42 andlower belts 44 then cause the fixed rollers 26 to rotate. Typically, inan empty baling cavity 52, the upper 42 and lower belts 44 will rotatedue to frictional engagement between the belts and the driven rollers24. On the door side 16, usually the belt 40 will not begin to rotateuntil the volume of bale material has reached the point where it forcesthe belt 40 against the driven roller 24, because in an empty baler, thedoor belt 40 hangs loosely on the rollers. As discussed previously, theadjustable rollers 28 on the door side 16 operate as fixed rollersduring the bailing process; therefore, the rotation of the belt 40 onthe door side 16 results in the rotation of the adjustable rollers 28.

When the baling material has reached the “critical mass” to engage allof the belts (40,42,44), then all of the belts rotate the bale materialin a clockwise manner, and the tensioner roll 34 begins the process ofapplying pressure inwardly on the belt 40 and the baling material. Thebelts, in a preferred embodiment, all rotate at the same speed and inthe same direction during the baling operation, and the computermonitors and controls the hydraulic motors 58 to ensure proper speed foreach motor and belt.

During the baling operation, the auger members 60 are constantlyrotating, transporting errant chips and pieces of the baling materialthat have inadvertently escaped the baling cavity 52 from the housing12.

As previously mentioned, when the preliminary contact sensor 66indicates that the bale is nearing maximum capacity, a signal is sent tothe operator. When the bale has reached maximum capacity, the finalcontact sensor 68 signals the wrap feeder and actuates the wrap feeder48 to begin feeding the wrap around the bale. At this same time, thecontact sensor signals the shredding assembly 200 and conveyor means 300to automatically and temporarily cease operation to avoid overloadingthe baling assembly once it has reached maximum capacity.

The wrap feeder 48 may also be controlled by the computer. The wrapfeeder 48 is preferably positioned on the fixed side 14 of the housing12, as shown, and includes a mounted roll of wrap material. Thismaterial is fed through a slot in the housing 12 between the upper 42and lower belts 44 and into the bailing cavity 52, thereby coming intocontact with the outer periphery of the bale material. As the belts turnthe bale material within the baling cavity 52, the wrap material is fedinto the cavity, wrapping around the baling material in the process. Thewrap feeder 48 is directly driven by a hydraulic motor 58, and thecomputer controls the motor speed so that the wrap is fed into thebaling cavity 52 at a slightly slower pace than the belts (40,42,44)that rotate the bale material. In this way, the wrap material is undersignificant tension as it wraps around the bale material, providingadditional compressive forces on the bale during the wrapping operation.After the wrap has revolved around the bale several times (preferably2-3 times, although more revolutions may be employed, as desired), thecomputer stops the wrap feeder 48 from feeding any additional wrapmaterial into the baling cavity 52, and the wrap material (preferablyhigh-strength polymeric netting) simply snaps, and the bale wrapseparates from the wrap material positioned within the wrap feeder 48.

Once the wrapping operation is complete, then the operator may open thedoor 16 of the housing 12 to release the wrapped bale. The door 16 iscontrolled by a hydraulic piston 38, which is attached between the door16 and the fixed housing 14 between the inner 22 and outer walls 23 ofthe housing 12. In one embodiment, a bale release platform 80 may bepositioned below the door 16 to catch the released bale and prevent itfrom an uncontrolled release. The bales may weigh as much as a ton ormore, and the bale release platform 80 facilitates a safe and controlledrelease of the bale from the baler 10. Once the door 16 of the housing12 closes, a signal is sent to the shredding assembly 200 and conveyormeans 300 to automatically resume operation. In this way, the entireoperation is paused once a complete bale is formed and ready forrelease, then upon release, the entire shredding-baling operation isautomatically resumed.

Once a bale is released, a skid steer may be used to lift the bale andmove it to another location, such as onto a flatbed truck fortransportation off-site. It is contemplated that a preferred embodimentof the shredder-baler assembly 100 can bale an entire 40 yard roll-offcontainer in an estimated 2 bales at approximately one bale per minute.In this way, a large demolition or logging site can be cleared quicklyand efficiently.

Although the present invention has been described in considerable detailwith reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions arepossible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims shouldnot be limited to the description of the preferred versions containedherein. All features disclosed in this specification may be replaced byalternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose,unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly statedotherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a genericseries of equivalent or similar features.

What is claimed is:
 1. A shredding and baling apparatus comprising: ashredding assembly comprising a rotatable shredding mechanism; a balingassembly operatively connected to said shredding assembly; a means forconveying operatively connected to said shredding assembly and saidbaling assembly, whereby shredded material is carried from saidshredding assembly to said baling assembly; and a power unit forpowering said apparatus, said power unit comprising at least one motoroperatively connected to said shredding assembly, said baling assembly,and said means for conveying.
 2. The shredding and baling apparatus ofclaim 1, further including a computer operationally connected to saidpower unit for automating and controlling said apparatus.
 3. Theshredding and baling apparatus of claim 1, wherein said baling assemblyfurther includes a housing having a fixed member and a pivoting doormember, said housing defining a baling cavity on an inside portionthereof; and a series of rotatable rollers positioned within saidhousing, and wherein a first set of said rollers are rotatably attachedwithin said fixed member of said housing, and a second set of saidrollers are rotatably attached within said pivoting door member of saidhousing.
 4. The shredding and baling apparatus of claim 3, furtherincluding said rollers being disposed in a generally circular or roundconfiguration and being disposed in generally parallel relation to oneanother, and a series of belts disposed about said rollers, so that saidbelts may rotate about said rollers, wherein at least one belt isdisposed about multiple said rollers positioned within said fixed memberof said housing, and at least one belt is disposed about multiple saidrollers positioned within said pivoting door member of said housing, awrap feeder disposed on an outer portion of said housing, said wrapfeeder being used to feed a wrap material into said baling cavity towrap around a bale of shredded material after said bale has been formedtherein.
 5. The shredding and baling apparatus of claim 1, wherein saidshredding mechanism includes a plurality of cutting teeth arrangedspirally on an outer portion thereof.
 6. The shredding and balingapparatus of claim 1, wherein said shredding mechanism rotates at aspeed ranging from 35 rpm to 55 rpm.
 7. The shredding and balingapparatus of claim 1, wherein said shredding mechanism rotates in afirst direction for cutting, and said motor is adapted to reverse-rotatesaid shredding mechanism in a direction opposite said first directionfor dislodging any obstruction of said shredding mechanism.